History
The Auckland Islands were uninhabited when discovered by a passing whaler in 1806 but in 1840 there were two separate efforts to establish permanent settlement. The first of these was led by Ngati Mutunga chief from the Chatham Islands accompanied by a party of Maori and Moriori. The second was Charles Enderby in 1849 whose family had been involved in whaling in the Southern Ocean for half a century. These two groups co-existed between 1849 and 1852.
The Southern Whale Fishery Company based their whaling operation on the Auckland Islands but due to under capitalising of their project and the reduction in abundance of whales they abandoned their settlement at Port Ross and returned to England in 1854.
The Auckland Islands is also known for its numerous shipwrecks with graves and plaques signifying this on the islands.
Bulbinella rossii, Enderby Island,
Auckland Islands
Implications
The islands themselves are protected by the Auckland Islands National Nature Reserve which extends to the mean low water springs tide mark and the marine reserve which extends to mean high water springs.
The public do not have automatic right to access to or upon any foreshore without a permit issued by the Department of Conservation.
Tourism activities are controlled by permits and ecotourism ventures are restricted to limited numbers of passengers each year.
A code of compliance designed to avoid accidental introduction of foreign organisms is also in place. Fishing is not allowed in any marine reserves.
This marine reserve is the first reserve to exist in the New Zealand Subantarctic. It completely protects a range of both unique and representative marine habitats. In a region where all living things are dependent on the sea, this allows for a holistic approach to conservation management integrating both the terrestrial and marine environments.